Brooksville man in critical condition after alcohol-related accident

BROOKSVILLE — A 20-year-old Brooksville man remained in critical condition Friday, four days after he was injured in an alcohol-related traffic crash that resulted in the arrest of an Applebee's bartender.

Patrick A. Osmond was riding in the bed of a pickup driven by 20-year-old Joseph Raub about 11:45 p.m. Monday when Raub lost control at the intersection of Broad Street and Ponce De Leon Boulevard, according to Brooksville police. The truck hit a tree, and Osmond was thrown from the bed. He was flown to Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, where he remained Friday.

Two passengers in the cab — 19-year-old Brooksville resident James Wheeler III and an unidentified 16-year-old boy — were also injured. Both were treated and released, police said.

Raub of Brooksville admitted that he had been drinking before the crash, police said. Toxicology results from a blood sample are pending.

A police report gives this account:

At the hospital, Osmond's father found in his son's pocket an Applebee's receipt from earlier in the night. The receipt, from the restaurant on Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville, included a pitcher of Yuengling beer. Osmond's father contacted police, who interviewed 27-year-old bartender Fallon Lyn Greenwald.

Greenwald of Brooksville told investigators she had checked Osmond's license and had served him because he was born in 1991. He doesn't turn 21 until December, however.

Greenwald said she didn't check Wheeler's identification because she had served him in the past and thought that he was 21. She said she didn't serve Raub because he looked too young.

Raub later told police that he took sips of beer when no one was looking. He also admitted to drinking before arriving at the restaurant, said police Chief George Turner.

Wheeler told investigators that he and Greenwald were standing outside smoking at one point and she asked him whether Raub was 21. Wheeler said no, but Greenwald didn't take the beer away when they went back inside.

Greenwald was arrested Wednesday, charged with two counts of serving alcohol to a minor, and released from the Hernando County Detention Center after posting $500 bail.

An Applebee's manager who answered the phone Friday said Greenwald no longer works there.

Tony Marrero can be reached at tmarrero@tampabay.com or (352) 848-1431.